Jan Vertonghen 'ashamed and embarrassed' by 7-2 defeat in Champions League
Wednesday 2 October 2019 11:51, UK
Hugo Lloris says Tottenham "gave up too easily" during the 7-2 defeat to Bayern Munich and insists they have no more room for manoeuvre in the Champions League.
Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry ran riot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, bagging four second-half goals as the German champions became the first visiting side to score seven times at Spurs.
The result means Spurs sit bottom of Group B on one point from their opening two games, and captain Lloris says they cannot afford any more slip-ups.
"I feel really bad for the fans mainly because we gave up too easily and the score was even worse," he said.
"It is a night that affects a lot. Now it's about character, clearing the mind. The next two games against Red Star will become even more important - we cannot lose any more points."
Tottenham have had an inconsistent start to the season and are yet to post back-to-back wins, something Lloris insists needs to change - starting against Brighton on Saturday.
"We need to find a solution to find the consistency that was our strength in the last few years," the France international added.
"Since the start of the season we have never played at the same intensity for 90 minutes.
"As you see we're used to playing in a way that demands a lot of energy and focus, and at this level the opponent punishes you when you start to lose easy balls close to the box.
"Today we feel bad for the badge, we feel bad for the fans and now it is to show a reaction on Saturday. This game has become even more important for us."
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen echoed Lloris' thoughts, admitting he and his team-mates had let everyone associated with the club down on Tuesday night.
"It was a painful night for us," he said. "They punished us with every single mistake we made and we let the fans and everyone at the club down with this result.
"Everyone is ashamed of this result. There's not too much I can say about this. I think everyone will have a bad night's sleep and probably a couple about this.
"I feel extremely hurt. All negative words. It is embarrassing. It is a very bad result."
Mauricio Pochettino admitted the thrashing was "so difficult to accept" but urged for "calm" and "no rush analysis" in the immediate aftermath of the defeat.
"Now is a moment to be calm and not make a mistake," he said. "After a result like today, stay calm. We all know how we feel, very disappointed, the feelings, of course, are not so good.
"We are not going to fix nothing by shouting or talking when the emotions are on the skin. The feeling of course in the last 10 minutes of the game, when we conceded three goals, it's like the team was tired and gave up a little bit.
"That shows a little bit our frustration during the game because until the 82nd minute the team was alive. The [team] was fighting, we created a few chances to score the third goal. But they were very clinical.
"Of course you assess always the team, assess the players. I feel we are very critical of ourselves and of course to find a way to fix the problem. We try to work, to try to move on.
"I think it's more psychological now to try to move on, talking in a different way. The most important thing now is to stay calm. No rush analysis. No rush assessment. It's so important now to take a few hours to see what happened."
Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent on The Debate: "I'm a little bit in shock. The situation down at Spurs hasn't been great for a little while now. To be on the back of that hiding, it's scary to think.
"They reached the final of the Champions League last season and probably had high expectations this season, but to be beaten seven and the manner in which they were at home, it's really disappointing.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson on Soccer Special: "It's a totally embarrassing night for Tottenham. Pochettino has got big problems. There's clearly something amiss. They look disjointed and disgruntled. When they went two or three goals down, there was no fight. Tottenham were appalling. It's unacceptable. They capitulated.
Danny Mills on Sky Sports News: "Is Pochettino's heart still in it? There has to be a point where he thinks I've taken this team as far as I can. Can he finish top four and reach the Champions League final again? It's very unlikely. It's very difficult for them to improve on last season, without the financial backing. As it stands, I don't see Pochettino at Spurs beyond this season and maybe even not that far. He's done so well, he's improved players, he's made them a lot of money; if he does not have the backing, where's his next step? He must be looking at other opportunities."
